Although many experts oppose punishment-and-reward systems, they are still used in almost every classroom. Teachers are often required to adopt a school-wide classroom-management system, or they may institute their own out of a need for structure. But given these realities, you can still incorporate classroom-management levers that are tied directly to learning goals and that reinforce expectations, rather than simply punishing so-called “bad” behavior. In doing so, you can foster inclusiveness rather than divisive competition in the classroom.

Click on the link above to see the full article. It comes from Education Week, and makes a lot of sense for classroom management. Just keep in mind that rewarding good behavior is not the same as a bribe. Rather, it is a way to help students maintain harmony in the classroom and in life as a whole. Teachers who have trouble with behavior in class may find the problem shrinking and vanishing as students “catch on” that there are consequences for appropriate behavior–not just punishment for poor behavior. Behavior management is such a simple technique, yet is so underused in non-special education classrooms.